The repairs began the day after the Dayton Daily News reported that in several places the cables were lying on the ground. Also, poles were uprooted after apparently being damaged during accidents. Several were pointing out at oncoming traffic.
When state Rep. Ross McGregor, R-Springfield, saw the I-Team report on the issue, he called ODOT and asked it to look into why holes in the safety system went unfixed for months.
“I understand their cost effectiveness and their safety effectiveness,” McGregor said of the system. “I also know any system not properly maintained is not effective at all.”
The cables along roughly 16 miles of I-675 are part of Ohio’s nearly 300-mile network of cable barriers installed in places where the highway median is narrow — including I-70 and I-75 in this area. At $95,000 per mile, the state estimates the steel barriers cost a quarter the price of traditional concrete barriers.
McGregor, who sits on the House committee that oversees ODOT’s budget, is demanding that the agency put policies in place to maintain and fix the system, as well as keep extra parts on hand.
“We’re talking a safety system that’s potentially going to save someone’s life,” he said. “I still think we need to have a better understanding of what their policy is for regular maintenance and also maintenance after an accident took place.
“I don’t think saying you’re out of parts is a legitimate reason.”
ODOT spokeswoman Sharon Smigielski said there is a process in place to fix the barriers quickly. She said it fell short this time because of an unusual circumstance with the vendor contract renewal taking longer than expected, slowing delivery of replacement parts.
“Anything that has a liability on us, our intent is to repair that as quickly as we can,” she said. “The issue came up because we couldn’t order (parts) without a contract.”
She said the parts arrived last week after being on back-order for more than a month. Those parts included 250 posts, clips and cable pins at a cost of $27,500.
Drivers like Mike Thompson of Springboro feared damage to his car, or worse, if the cables weren’t fixed.
“I’m extremely happy (they’re being fixed),” Thompson said. “My daughter uses 675 every day and it was only a matter of time before someone crossed the line in the gaps with the median being down.
“I just hope that ODOT can keep ahead of the repairs.”
Contact this reporter at (937) 328-0374.
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